The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-25


Ofthat garden long ago.
-[Vick's Magazine.
MIR. Beecher's Last Sermon.
The last sermon which Mr.. Beecher
preached in Plymouth church was de-
livered on sund ay evening, February
27, and the text was 81 am resolved
what to do" Luke 1914, tho subject
being the power of men to form resolu-
tons. The closing paragraphs of that
sermon-the last public utterances of
the famous preacher, were as follows:
In the West when the times are hard
they give q note payable within four
months. They pay ono note by giving
another. And there are multitudes of
people that form resolution in that
way after the second note is due. They
may say: "Well, I have made up my
mind and I am going to be o Christian
as soon as I can get ready. When are
you going to get roady2 It's
quicting your conscience and
your reason now by prom
ising yourself that by and by you
will take that step; it is resolution
that merely means q non-ful6lment of
duty. They will get ready to serve
when they are worn out, wasted in the
service of selfshness and in old age and
upon their deathbed. I should think
myself very mean, If in the summer I
should shell out the peas and send the
pods to my brother, that is what men
mean to do with God.r> They mean TO
live in youth after their ambition; in
old age they hope to switch on the right
side and get, into heaven. When you
come to examine such conduct there Is
not savage that would not say twas
infamous to thus repay protection and
the ministrations of God through all the
channels of nature, and the kindness of.
God through Jesus Christ. And the
man deliberately says we will live all
the rest that there is in life, and when we
are no longer any use to ourselves, and
when we are going out, we will live so
as to get into heaven.
Two deacons of a church had been
warm friends, and yet one day they got
into dispute until they came positively
to hate each other. And one Sunday
morning, the dominic, going by one of
the elders, heard him muttering to him
self: "He will 60 to hell" The old
dominic steps up to him, and said: "My
dear brother, he won't go to hell"
eyes. he will 20 to hell.n "Well nv
dear fellow, he may repent, you know"
s'Well, he's just mean enough to do it. !"
Oh, that's you! That is exactly the
condition in which some of you are.
You mean to wait to get into heaven.
You are just mean enough to do it. If
you have made up your mind honestly
that you are endeavoring to do it, he
will help you from day to day, and
from month to month, and from year to
year, growing brighter aid brighter.
Is there any man here that can say in
regard to the past that he will resolve
that everything he has done has been a
detriment to him2
Resolve what to do, by making a re-
solve to live higher life, a nobler ideal.
81 am determined by the help of God
that will live in such way that I
shall live in heaven" And if there is
any man, don't wait until tomorrow
morning. Register your VOW tonight.
Go home and tell God OF it. Go home
and tell your wife of it. That is the
very thing you don't dare to do. Be-
cause, when man once commits him.
self he feels ashamed to 60 back, and If
you do, it's because you have not made
up your mind. When a man is deter
mined that he will live Christian life,
he will be willing to say to all those
that are around about him, 81 am going
to try and have made up my mind to
try" And if you have desire, you will
enter upon your journey, and say, "The
time has passed in which have served
the W IL of the flesh, and now, tonight,
I have determined that I will begin,
with the help Of God, to live Chris
tian hfe." Are there sny of you that
are willing to make that resolve2 God
help YOU, For q while it will be a
troublesome endeavor, for little while,
and then easier and cas- er and bringing
encouragement and joyfulnoss.
By everything that is permanent in
the universe, and by everything that is
permanent in the Godhead, we are made
to know that the covenant of grace is a
fixed and settled thing, and abides to-
day as it ever has done; for there is no
variableness nor turning with Him from
whom every good gift comes down
-[Spurgeon.
"Nearly All The Time"
The other evening the little daughter or E.
Congressman was paving q visit at nelgn-
boris. and the respective mothers were talAlns
e -L--.:a.r ,;lr,,,,t, opd their remedies AL